What Does it Take to Engineer A Better Solution?

What Does it Take to Engineer A Better Solution?

It’s 1PM on a Wednesday afternoon. After lunch out of the office, James returns to find his coworkers working away. He notices an engineer sitting at the computer with a puzzled look on his face. The engineer is designing the mechanical system for a new building downtown but doesn’t know where to go next. The design is efficient, but he knows that there’s still a piece missing. James offers a second set of eyes, and the engineer happily shows him the plans.

"Have you thought about this?"

It was something he hadn't tried before. Rather than dismiss his suggestion, collaboration began. 2 eyes became 4 eyes and 2 ears became 4 ears as they began to pull from one another's expertise in Energy Management and Engineering to develop the best solution; more cost effective and energy efficient in its design and eventual implementation.

Here’s the thing, James is an energy manager, not an engineer. He doesn't have an extensive background in designing mechanical systems. His expertise revolves around project management and energy modeling.

In a traditional engineering firm, everyone has their spot. Capabilities are defined by the title displayed in their email signature and business card. Value is based on title length and the string of abbreviations and certifications that follow. Collaboration comes in the form of micro managing a series of "Dos & Don'ts." Each employee has their comfortable box where they live and thrive. When more is asked of them, they reply “that’s not my job.” They're not hired in to help others do their job; they do what is asked of them and are rewarded for that. They are not asked to leave their safety box; in fact, are often seen as overstepping when they offer suggestions to their counterparts.

At E3M Solutions, we are anything but traditional.

At E3M Solutions, we believe our people, not the position, bring the value to what we do. Our team’s value does not only lie in their skills and expertise, but the experiences and diversity they bring. The unique perspective each employee brings cannot be taught or learned. Merging the experience and diversity of our team creates exciting solutions improves our processes. How can we engineer a system for an office building if we can’t speak the language of those that work in said office? We bring that same idea to all aspects of our people. From the fresh college graduate to the engineer with 25 years of experience, we believe each member of our team brings value that cannot be found anywhere else. We hire people who we know are capable of learning and building.

Our employees don’t have all the answers, but we believe our team does. That’s why 4 Eyes & 4 Ears, our version of collaboration, is at the forefront of everything that we do. Our engineers know they can rely on our energy managers to bring a new perspective to their designs. Our sales team knows they can count on our engineers to support them on sales calls. Our team can rely on each other, knowing that collaboration is what it takes to engineer the best solution.